The irony of some Americans complaining about foreigners coming over and wanting things the same as back in their old country...
It even works both ways! It is what YOUR COUNTRY was created by. Really the only religion taught in schools should be that of the natives. It is also what America has done to pretty much every country it has invaded since ( communism bad, we will force you to be a democracy like us. Islam bad, be Christians like us ).
If you don't know your history then you will be a victim of the same pitfalls over and over again.
Here is a little bit of history for you and you can dig deeper if you want to.
The United States of America was founded with Christian roots.
The original Pilgrims who came to America on the
Mayflower in 1620 were
Protestants (Christians), but more specifically they were
English Puritans known as Separatists.
Puritans wanted to "purify" the Church of England of what they saw as lingering Catholic practices.
Separatists went even further, believing the Church of England was beyond reform, so they separated entirely and formed independent congregations.
They first fled to the Netherlands (Leiden) for religious tolerance, but later sailed to America seeking a place where they could establish their own community.
- Under Catholic Queen Mary I (“Bloody Mary,” 1553–1558), Protestants were executed — hundreds were burned at the stake.
- But by the time of the Pilgrims (late 1500s–early 1600s), England was firmly Protestant under Elizabeth I and then James I.
- The people at risk then were not Protestants in general, but radical Protestants who refused to follow the Church of England’s rules.
- The Pilgrims weren’t usually executed — instead, they were harassed, fined, jailed, or forced into hiding.
Why They Left
- The Separatists wanted the freedom to run their own independent churches, without interference from bishops or the king.
- Because that was illegal in England, they first fled to the Netherlands (where there was more tolerance).
- Eventually, they decided to leave Europe altogether and build a new community in America.
The reason that the makers of the Constitution forbid religious test and block the establishment and protect free exercise of religion is because of the experience in England where a certain way was forced upon them. The way they build the Constitution is so that the best articulation of reality will always win.
- England’s religious “tests” & uniformity laws. In Restoration-era England, officeholders had to take Anglican communion and swear anti-Catholic oaths (Corporation Act 1661; Test Acts 1673/1678). Dissenters faced legal disabilities until partial relief in 1689’s Toleration Act. Parliament UK+3Legislation.gov.uk+3Wikipedia+3
- The American response. The Constitution bans religious tests (Art. VI), and the First Amendment bars establishment and protects free exercise. Madison’s 1785 Memorial and Remonstrance argued religion “must be left to the conviction and conscience of every man,” a view embodied in Jefferson’s 1786 Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. Encyclopedia Virginia+3Congress.gov+3Reagan Library+3
Deuteronomy → Founding-era echoes (with receipts)
Below, each line pairs a Deuteronomic idea with its closest American analogue. Think “family resemblance,” not one-to-one derivation.
- Ruler under written law (rule of law).
- Deuteronomy: The king must write a copy of the law, keep it, and read it “all the days of his life,” so he won’t exalt himself above his fellows (Deut 17:18–20). Public reading of the law every seventh year reinforces this (Deut 31:10–13). Bible Gateway+1
- U.S.: Officers are bound by oath or affirmation to support a supreme written Constitution (Art. VI); the President swears to “preserve, protect and defend” it (Art. II). That’s the American version of law above rulers. Congress.gov+2Congress.gov+2
- Local judges + impartial justice.
- Deuteronomy: “Appoint judges… in all your gates”; do not pervert justice or take bribes (Deut 16:18–20). Bible Hub
- U.S.: A vast, tiered judiciary sworn to do “equal right to the poor and to the rich,” with corruption criminalized in statute—structurally echoing the Deuteronomic push for impartial courts. Ben's Guide
- Due process via multiple witnesses.
- Deuteronomy: A single witness is insufficient; “by the mouth of two or three witnesses shall a matter be established” (Deut 19:15; cf. 17:6). Bible Hub
- U.S.: The Constitution hard-codes a two-witness rule (for treason): “No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act” (Art. III §3). This built on the English Treason Act 1695’s two-witness requirement—tightened by the framers to the “same overt act.” National Archives+1
- Colonial bridge: Massachusetts’s Body of Liberties (1641) likewise required two or three witnesses in capital cases. American Constitution Center
- Diligent fact-finding before punishment.
- Deuteronomy: Authorities must “inquire, investigate, and ask diligently” to verify allegations (Deut 13:14; cf. 17:4). Cities of refuge guard against rash bloodshed (Deut 19:1–13). Bible Hub+1
- U.S.: Due-process norms (indictment, confrontation of witnesses, etc.) reflect the same instinct to verify before punishing, though the mechanisms are different.
- Oath-bound leadership.
- Deuteronomy: The king’s handwritten law + perpetual reading is a kind of covenantal self-binding. Bible Gateway
- U.S.: Article VI binds all federal and state officers by oath to the Constitution (and—crucially—without a religious test). Congress.gov
- Popular covenant / consent motif.
- Deuteronomy: “All of you are standing today… to enter into a covenant,” including leaders, families, and resident aliens (Deut 29:10–15; 30:19 “choose life”). Bible Gateway+1
- U.S.: The Declaration locates just government in “consent of the governed.” Many early New England compacts (e.g., Mayflower Compact) used covenant language for civil order. These are parallel ways of grounding political obligation in public commitment. Teaching American History+1
- Leader “from among your brethren” vs. foreign influence.
- Deuteronomy: The king must be from among your own people—not a foreigner (Deut 17:15). Bible Hub
- U.S.: The President must be a “natural born Citizen” (with an original-era exception), a safeguard the framers tied to fear of foreign influence—not a direct biblical rule, but a recognizable rhyme. Congress.gov+1
Where the parallels stop (important differences)
- Deuteronomy is a religious constitution; the U.S. is not. Deuteronomy centers a covenant with Israel’s God, prescribes worship, and unifies civil and cultic life. The U.S. disestablishes religion, protects free exercise, and forbids religious tests (Art. VI; 1st Amendment). That’s a fundamental structural divergence. Congress.gov+1
- Executive form. Deuteronomy regulates a king (with limits on horses, wives, treasure). The U.S. rejects monarchy, dividing power among separate branches; the “limits” rhyme but the institutional design differs. (See Deut 17:14–20.) Sefaria
- Procedure & punishments. Deuteronomy’s criminal sanctions (e.g., capital offenses, cult centralization) and ritual law don’t map onto U.S. constitutionalism, which prioritizes individual rights within a secular legal order.
In the late 18th century the Bible was cited frequently, and Deuteronomy was the single most cited book. It is very fair to say America's founding absorbed many Christian characteristics and was made by actual Christians of different denominations who worked to make a bullet proof rule of law that would stand the test of time keeping the citizens free from governmental tyranny and give liberty to all (such as the right to own property, something only kings were allowed in the land they came from).
